The game of golf is a very popular recreational sport enjoyed by a broad segment of the public. A set of golf clubs are universally carried in a cylindrical-shaped bag such that their club heads extend above an open-top edge. Many golfers protect their clubs during non-use by providing a club head cover for at least each of the woods. To a lesser extent, club head covers are also used for the irons. The conventional golf bag has worked quite well for many years in containing the golf club set in a manner whereby a particular club can be selected, used and replaced. The covers in various forms also are very prevalent and serve to protect the club heads in an easy to use fashion at minimal cost.
A problem experienced by many amateur golfers is the occasional loss at least temporarily of a golf club at the golf course. The problem is prevalent regardless of whether the golf bag with its clubs are being carried over the shoulder, in a pull cart or in a riding cart. As the golfer approaches the green, the golfer will often lay the golf bag or park the cart off the green, usually in the general vicinity of the next tee. The golfer may carry a chipping or pitching wedge and a putter with him to where the golf ball is lying. Once the ball is on the green, the wedge is laid at or near an edge of the green and the golfer putts out the hole. For whatever the reason, it has proved easy to occasionally forget the club which was temporarily laid aside and go on to the next tee. The golfer may timely remember the forgotten club and be close enough to retrieve it. Unfortunately, it may be several holes later or even days later when the club is remembered. If the golfer is fortunate, the club may be where it was originally left or returned by another golfer to the club house for eventual claiming by its owner. Other times, the club has simply disappeared and must be replaced with a new club. This, of course, is costly and very annoying.
While less troublesome, losing a club head cover is also a fairly common occurrence. To alleviate this problem, there have been developed various devices which attach to the golf bag and, when used properly, greatly lessened the chances for a club cover to be carelessly left on the ground. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,246,108 discloses a support for attachment to a golf bag. The support extends upwardly from the bag and is shaped to receive and hold a club cover for one of the woods. This provides a convenient place for the golfer to place a club cover when it is removed from the wood.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,345,987 also discloses an apparatus for attachment to a golf bag. It too is to hold club head covers for the woods. The apparatus serves to protect the clubs and minimizes loss or damage to the club head covers.
While the structures of the aforediscussed U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,246,108 and 5,345,987 serve a limited function of lessening the chances for loss of club covers, they do no more. It is still very possible for the golfer to leave a golf club behind, especially one of the irons. The known golf bag structures for holding club covers do not secondarily alert a golfer to a missing club. Additionally, the structures appear flimsy and not likely to last for long.
In accord with this invention, there has been developed a golf club cover device for semi-permanent attachment to a golf bag which serves to alert the golfer to a forgotten golf club. The golf club cover device serves a long felt need. It is economical to produce, easy to use, durable and effective for its intended function.